Got the Bases Covered...



Mailing a letter...

Writing Santa a letter at Silver Dollar City



Nerf gun and racecar

Visiting with Santa at the bank...

Talon wouldn't tell me what he whispered-- he just said wait and see.  He said he knew what he was getting for Christmas because he asked Santa.   I explained that the surprise is part of the fun so Santa might bring something else.

Pecan Dreams!

4H sells pecans as a fundraiser.  Oh, I'd love to have the whole shebang in the freezer.  I'm dreaming of  pralines and pecan pie for the holidays and brownies, chocolate chip cookies and quick breads the rest of the year. What are your pecan dreams?

School Days: Program

Can't believe how big Talon looks marching into the gym for the Christmas Program!  Where does the time go?

Kindergarten sang 'Ain't Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas'-- They all held up bags of coal-- very cute!
I torment Talon by saying he is only getting coal-- He gets so worked up and exclaims: It is only a song, Mom!!

School Days: Christmas Party

Story first...

then presents from the teacher! 

Talon was thrilled with his gun with foam bullets-- he has been wanting one of those for awhile!  Actually, I think the whole class has been putting bugs in Mrs. F's ear--- they all got what they wanted.

Decorating cookies-- messy yummy fun!

Shake Shake Shake--- Shake Shake Shake--- Shake your sprinkles!

Talon's masterpiece!

The cake that no one ate...

Snoopy



Talon diligently checks the To and From of each present.



Hay-ulp! A Shopping Dilemma!

Hay-ulp! Hay-ulp! Remember little ol' Penelope Pitstop? Rich vacuous southern belle always in peril.  My East Texas Piney Woods roots qualify me as Southern but I'm way too rough around the edges for belle-dom.  Vacuous? Hmm, better plead the fifth on that one. Rich? Definitely not. Peril? Not at the moment--  but I hope you can hay-ulp little ol' me with a shopping dilemma...

I recently won a CSN Store gift certificate from the lovely Jillian  that must be used by December 31.  My plan was to purchase my little boy a bookcase which would free up at least one shelf each from three family bookcases. CSN offers a wide selection of bookcases for children BUT I really want the fun of searching through thrift/junk stores for the perfect bookcase that can be refurbished in some funky cool way.  I'll know it when I see it and maybe it will even have a drawer or two.

So what to buy instead? How about kitchen toys! Here are my two choices:




A German clay roaster! I've always wanted to try one of these. Wonder if I could make tandoori chicken in it?   Do any of you have pro/con experience with clay cooking to sway me one way or the other?  I mainly roast in the winter but not weekly so it would see infrequent use and take up precious storage space.  But I've always wanted one and it would only cost about $10 with the gift certificate.

 

Or...




Melmac mixing bowls! Just perfect for my yellow accented kitchen.  I've been looking for a set of yellow lightweight mixing bowls for everyday use-- and believe me they would be used almost every day!  The price doesn't quite use up the gift certificate so one of the following would round out the order...

 



Rachel Ray's Bubble and Brown ramekins--  Love the shape!

 


Baby Batter bowl-- Isn't it cute!

 




Emile Henry mini pie dish-- Oh, this is even cuter!

 




Microplane zester! This is the most amazing gadget ever!  I have one already but it doesn't have a happy yellow handle. Silly, I know, but I do love happy yellow handles! And my old one can be passed on to a friend...

 

So what is your opinion?  An experimental probably seldom used clay roaster to further my culinary adventures or happy frequently used yellow mixing bowls? If you vote yellow, which little extra should round out the order?

CSN is a new online shopping experience for me-- I will report on the ordering process and shipping/packaging. 

If you would like a chance to win a CSN gift certificate, Mystica and Booksploring are both running giveways right now! These are December giveways so hurry over to enter! 

Seed Catalogs Mean...

Spring is right around the corner, right?  Yeah, I know, wishful thinking. I do wish spring began right after New Year's Day, though. Wouldn't that be loverly! 

My first two 2011 seed catalogs arrived last week! Yippee! Aren't they pretty! 

Nichol's Garden Nursery and Totally Tomatoes are two of my favorite companies.  Check them out-- plotting and planning a garden is good for the soul and a terrific remedy for an early case of springfever!

Please visit Ruby Tuesday at Work of the Poet and Rednesday at It's A Very Cherry World to see more reds from around the world!

Our Winter Lifeline!

This is one of those things that makes the city girl in me sigh and laugh at the same time. Okie ingenuity at its finest!

My guys stringing electric cords out to the wellhouse. Why, you ask?  Why to power a lightbulb inside the wellhouse, of course!  Why, you ask?  Well, so the water will flow when the temps drop to the teens.     The cord stretches across the field from December to March--- Looks goofy as heck and started a small grass fire once but it works.



Took hubby a few years to figure this trick out! After the bulb kept the water flowing, my idea was to hire an electrician to hardwire a light fixture into the wellhouse. Nothing came of my idea yet. It has been years but I am biding my time. Just wait till the electrician comes out to wire hubby's mancavebarn... 



Yikes, looks like Talon is channeling Lizzie Borden! With some editing/effects, this photo would make a creepy cover for a horror novel!! What would be more eerie-- black and white, sepia, watercolor, a diffused background? Tell me what you think-- I will experiment and post your ideas!

Please visit Mellow Yellow Monday and Blue Monday to see more colorful photos!